7 minute read
Local Heroes: Dangerous Man Brewing Company
Dangerous Man Brewing Company
Meet the husband and wife duo behind one of Minneapolis’s coolest breweries—and some of its tastiest beers.
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Words by RITA FARMER Pictures by CONNOR SIEDOW
It’s no secret that Minneapolis is a booming beer city. In 2011, the Minnesota State Legislature passed the Surly Bill, making it legal for brewers to sell pints on their own premises. The law spurred the opening of a host of new breweries with adjacent taprooms. Northeast Minneapolis, known for its artist studios and creative inhabitants, became a magnet for breweries. Dangerous Man Brewing Company was one of the early ones in Northeast, and it remains one of the best. What is its recipe for success? There are several—they all involve hops, malt and yeast, and they’re all delicious. Dangerous Man’s approach is simple: brew good beer that people want to drink. The brewery doesn’t have the city’s glitziest taproom or even an outdoor patio for imbibing al fresco in the summer months, but the team consistently makes some of the best beer in the city and people keep coming back for more.
Brew day On a brisk morning in April, Citinerary correspondent Connor and I visited Dangerous Man Brewing Company to chat with owners, husband-and-wife team Rob Miller and Sarah Bonvallet, along with a few members of the staff. We arrived before opening hours, so we entered through a back alley lined with tubs of soggy, golden grain that had been used in the brewing process. Taproom manager Sam Holzinger, who met us outside, explains, “We donate the spent grain to local farms to feed their livestock. Occasionally, urban farmers even come by to collect a scoop or two to feed their backyard chickens.” Sam led us inside. It was “brew day,” and incredible smells greeted us upon entry. The brewery resembled a large-scale high school chemistry lab with huge copper and stainless steel tanks. In addition to the Dangerous Man brewing crew, several people from the Minneapolis beer powerhouse Surly Brewing Co. were present. We came to learn that the two breweries were working together to make a special edition collaborative brew for May’s Art-A-Whirl festival. Rob came over to say hello, but he wasn’t able to say much more as he was eyeing the timer on his phone to let the others know when each hop addition was ready to combine with the boiling wort.
Humble beginnings When Rob was joined us for a chat, he proved to be friendly and wholly dedicated to his craft. “I had been home brewing in my basement for years,” he shares. “We had talked about starting a brewery and when we found this location on 13th Street in Northeast, a great spot with popular restaurants and interesting galleries, we knew we had to jump on it. It required a huge leap— of faith, of finances, of everything falling into place at the exact right time, but Sarah was super supportive so we went for it.” Dangerous Man is now three years old and has come a long way from Rob and Sarah’s basement. The company launched with six varieties of beer and now has a rotating selection of many more. Rob and Sarah have expanded their space, tripling their brewing capacity. They’ve also opened a storefront for merchandise and beer sales called The Growler Shop, named after the growler jug, which holds approximately 1.9 liters of beer.
After touring the brewery, Sarah joined us and we went to visit the new space. Not every married couple could undertake such a significant business venture together, but it was clear these two had figured out how to make it work. Their respect and adoration for one another were obvious.
Powered by peanut butter While we were chatting in The Growler Shop, an employee from a news station came by to pick up some “crowlers” (750 ml cans) that would be featured on a local news segment later that day. One of the cans Rob gave him was Dangerous Man’s famous Peanut Butter Porter. Avid readers of Citinerary know that we are big fans of this beer, a deliciously rich and dark porter that goes down like dessert in a glass. And we’re not alone. This beer has become a driving force behind Dangerous Man’s popularity. “We didn’t want flagship beers when we started out, but the Peanut Butter Porter was so well received, we had to keep brewing it,” explains Sarah. “We were consistently selling out of it, which is one of the reasons we had to expand. The Peanut Butter Porter now accounts for 25% of our sales.”
Love where you live We met several members of the Dangerous Man crew. They all echoed the sentiment that the brewery is like a family. Not only do the employees get along well and
enjoy working together, but the taproom also brings in regulars from the neighborhood who make up part of the larger Dangerous Man community. Rob and Sarah decided against distributing their beers to liquor stores and restaurants. To buy Dangerous Man beer, people must go to the shop, which helps the staff get to know the regulars. Sarah added that the choice not to distribute goes a long way toward the goal of maintaining a work/life balance; rather than brewing round the clock, the couple have managed to carve out time to spend at home with their two kids. The familial, collaborative spirit is one that Rob, Sarah and Sam all described as central to the broader Minneapolis beer scene. The joint project with Surly is just one example. The owners view the booming brewery scene in Minneapolis as great for their industry, encouraging good-natured competition. Sam explains that this industry is very supportive and close-knit, and Sarah agrees. She sits on the board of the Craft Brewers Guild and helps plan events where brewers can learn from and collaborate with one other.
Fan favorites and a family atmosphere
In addition to expanding their space, Dangerous Man,
with Rob at the helm as brewmaster, is continuing
to push the limits of their creativity and brewing expertise. Rob and Sarah proudly showed us the cellar where they barrel-age several beers for limited release. We were thrilled to hear about their Imperial Peanut Butter Porter to be aged in port barrels, affectionately dubbed the “peanut butter and jelly” brew. They have also recently partnered with a popular artisanal coffeehouse, Five Watt, to make a Big Watt Brewers Press—a blend of unfermented wort and cold press coffee. With innovations like these, tried and true recipes for fan-favorite beers, a work atmosphere that feels like a family reunion, and a dedication to the greater Minneapolis community, Rob and Sarah have figured out what it takes to be among the best of what this city has to offer. Now, to open a crowler. ¢ dangerousmanbrewing.com
Central Avenue: Local gems revitalized
When distinct neighborhoods and different cultures meet, they do so at the intersection of Lowry and Central Avenues in northeast Minneapolis.
Words & pictures by RITA FARMER
The intersection of Lowry and Central Avenues in northeast Minneapolis is more than just a corner where two streets meet. We explore the intersection of three distinct neighborhoods, where old and new coexist, and many cultures are neighbors to one another.
Ethnic eats The dining options along this two-block stretch of Central Avenue are as varied as the inhabitants who populate the surrounding neighborhoods. They serve up delicious food and authentic cultural experiences from far reaches of the globe. Long before I became a resident of this neighborhood, I made the trek to El Taco Riendo (‘the laughing taco’) for their famed al pastor (slow-simmered barbecue pork) tacos and a chance to put my Spanish degree to use. That visit isn’t complete without a stop at Durango Bakery next door for a slice of tres leches cake.
Cultivating the northeast Sen Yai Sen Lek (‘little noodle, big noodle’) is known throughout the city for its Bangkok street fare. But we neighborhood residents have a better picture of the restaurant. Last year, the Sen Yai Sen Lek team joined other community members in planting a permaculture garden from which the restaurant now sources produce. Residents of the community are welcome to use garden space as an urban oasis. The organizers
